UFOP: StarBase 118, a Star Trek PBEM RPG

I can vividly remember my first Star Trek convention in the late 80s where James Doohan was one of the guest stars. Star Trek: The Next Generation was received by fans as a long-awaited return of the beloved world of Gene Roddenberry to television. Long before Amazon.com or any other online retailers, getting your hands on Star Trek memorabilia was a little more challenging than it is today. You could purchase the items at conventions or through catalogs, and for me, the convention I attended was the first time I’d seen a large manual with a beautiful cover and incredible illustrations inside. That book was titled Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual published by Pocket Books. I’d seen Michael Okuda’s name in the credits of The Next Generation episodes, but I’d never learned much about him. When I purchased the technical manual, my eyes were opened to the genius of Mr. Okuda’s vision of the future and to his major contributions to Star Trek.

As I read through the manual and saw Mr. Okuda’s name more and more over the years, it became apparent that he was a true pioneer. Along with his wife, Denise, they went on to write numerous Star Trek stories and serve as advisors for the subsequent television series Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. More recently, Mr. Okuda has been involved with the remastering of the original series on DVD to enhance the special effects, as an advisor to the MMORPG Star Trek Online in its initial stages, and designing logos for NASA.

His most famous contributions to Star Trek include the graphical user interface for the LCARS computer system used on the Enterprise-D and other Starfleet vessels. In appreciation for his contributions in this area, the visual style of the LCARS was named “okudagrams”.

Want to learn more about Mr. Okuda and his memories of working on Star Trek? Read the Michael Okuda interview at UFOP: Starbase 118.

By Alleran Tan

On every Starfleet vessel and installation a counselor is present to see to the mental well-being of the crew. The role of the counselor is a very important one and they are, in every way, a valuable member of the medical staff of a vessel- many of them hold medical degrees in addition to any other degrees (almost always psychology), although counselors with more esoteric qualifications are permitted to serve.

Today I present an interview with Counselor Askade, one of our new councilors in the fleet.  

Counselor Askade serves on the USS Constitution-B. I asked Counselor Askade what she felt about the role of the counselor in the fleet and she said,

“Well, just being assigned to a ship, I can say that the job of a good counselor is to listen and then give thoughts on solutions to the problem.”

Can’t argue with that one. They say the secret to being a great conversationalist is to listen…

I asked her if she, as a writer, had a favourite “session”? Does her character? Are they different? She said,

“I have not had any just yet, so not at this time. All I can say is that I will do my best for my crew, and serve my Captain well.”

An interesting answer; we’ll just have to see how that plans out. Curious about her profession, I asked Counselor Askade what makes a good counciling session. She wrote,

“One thing is comfort. If there is any tension, it will not go well.”

Makes sense to me. She said further,

“I have one idea in mind, for a session, and that is to go on the holodeck, and do a combat session with some of the crew members, so they know that i will stand by them in any situation.”

The idea of a warrior-counselor is certainly an intriguing one! I, personally, would love to see that holographic combat session. I’m sure she’ll let me know if she does decide to write such a thing!

But back to the task at hand. I asked the good Counselor if she had any advice for councilors just starting out in the fleet and she said,

“Read the wiki bio’s, and Listen to them.”

Listening seems to be a continuing theme here, although as discussed earlier it’s a very important part of a Counselor’s job. After all, they are tasked with (amongst other things) the assessment of a crewman’s mental health. Listening is the best way to find out exactly how someone is doing… a life in space can be a distressing and challenging one.

I asked Askade if she had any other duties her character can perform. Her answer was very broad. She wrote,

“If need be I can multi-role, as a tactical officer, security officer, and combat medic.”

A very revealing answer about a very interesting character: a warrior and a healer. As a Klingon, her closing words were very appropriate. She said,

“Just one thing: honor your crew, and captain with everything you have.”

Thank you for your time, Askade; I hope your new post goes well!

The Star Trek adventure continues at http://www.starbase118.net/.

David Mack is the national bestselling author of more than twenty novels and novellas, including Wildfire, Harbinger, Reap the Whirlwind, Precipice, Road of Bones, Promises Broken, and the Star Trek Destiny trilogy: Gods of Night, Mere Mortals, and Lost Souls. He developed the Star Trek Vanguard series concept with editor Marco Palmieri. His first work of original fiction is the critically acclaimed supernatural thriller The Calling.

In addition to novels, Mr. Mack's writing credits span several media, including television (for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), film, short fiction, magazines, newspapers, comic books, computer games, radio, and the Internet.

Mr. Mack was gracious enough to talk with Tallis Rhul, a member of UFOP: StarBase 118, about his experiences with writing for Star Trek and his advice for aspiring writers. You can read the interview at UFOP: StarBase 118, a Star Trek PBEM RPG.

Congratulations to the November/December 2010 Writing Challenge winner, CPO Radi Rais, and runner-up, Lt. Kevin Breeman!  You can read their entries here and here, respectively.

The Star Trek adventure continues at http://www.starbase118.net/.

We’ve just boarded the freighter holding our kidnapped crew members. The room we entered reminds me of a carnival maze full of mirrors and dead ends. Time is not on our side as there are enemy ships closing on the USS Ronin with a thirty-five minute ETA. That doesn’t give us much time to find the crew and return to the Ronin before the kidnappers’ reinforcements arrive. I hope that our scientists and engineers can find a way to disable the roadblocks that have been set up between us and our people.

The Star Trek adventure continues at http://www.starbase118.net/.

The last twenty-four hours had been a rush both literally and figuratively. The captain's children along with two others had been kidnapped on Deep Space station 17. Time had not been allotted to the crew of the USS Ronin to determine why they had been taken but only that the crew was compelled to find them. Within an hour, the leads brought us to follow the warp trail of a freighter racing toward the nebula near Cholos Prime. The freighter will be near the heart of that nebula by the time we reach it even though we are traveling at maximum warp. The first officer is in command at the moment, but it seems that he also insists on leading one of the insertion teams to seize the freighter and rescue the hostages. As such, I have assigned myself to his team. These recent events have tested me as I have struggled separating my personal feelings from the stoic persona I must have to complete my duties in hopes of a successful outcome to this mission.

The Star Trek adventure continues at http://www.starbase118.net/.

Take a look at the new UFOP: StarBase 118 website at http://www.starbase118.net/.

For more than 16 years, player-generated Star Trek stories have been developed at http://www.starbase118.net/.

We have finally been set free by the creature of T8A. It’s been a long three days inside of the creature that we have now discovered is a large land mass of sentience. We learned that the creature was only trying to protect us from its perceived dangers on the surface of the planet. When we made first contact with it as it spoke through the mysterious woman from the past, we reached an understanding on both of our parts, which led to our eventual release. The captain as ordered that the planet be quarantined until Starfleet Command determines whether further contact with the creature will be attempted in the future. I hope that there will be another expedition on the planet again as the creature was a fascinating find.

The Star Trek adventure continues at http://www.starbase118.net/.

I touched the wall with the depiction of the Sol system again and found myself brought into another vision.  At least I believe that I was brought into it and that my mind is not inventing it as a protection mechanism.  This time, the vision is slightly different.  It feels more real, if that makes sense.  The mysterious woman is there again, but this time she seems confused as if there is a duplicity about her.  She seems to have human emotions confused.  She sees tears as a sign of happiness and trembling as a sign of safety.  I believe that the duplicity is the consciousness of the creature that is holding us showing through.  How can I make it understand that we cannot be held captive here?  We have to be set free!

The Star Trek adventure continues at http://www.starbase118.net/.

I get the feeling that everyone is starting to think that I've lost my mind.  I would have agreed with them two days ago after the vision I had of my brother's death, but this time, what I've seen is different.  There is some "thing" in the underground tunnels with us.  I've seen it, and I've felt its presence.  We're getting closer to the truth.  Lieutenant Gregory and I just found another piece to the puzzle in one of the new rooms adjoining the tunnel we searched.  Maybe now he'll start to trust me.

The Star Trek adventure continues at http://www.starbase118.net/.

We are a community of people who love writing and Star Trek. We've been together as a group since June of 1994 and have enjoyed years of simming under a highly trained command staff. Our group offers an extensive and complete training course upon acceptance that will acclimatize you to our rules and ways of simming. We also offer a very active forum, an online database to organize your character's information, and of course, a ship to suit your simming style. If you want to learn more, just head to our website and check out the "Prospective Members Tour" on our home page. We'd love to have you join our group -- see you soon!

http://www.starbase118.net/

If you joined Starfleet, what duty station would you choose?

The Star Trek adventure continues at http://www.starbase118.net/.

It’s been just over two days since we left the USS Ronin.  At least that’s how long I think it’s been because it’s dark in the tunnels we were dropped into.  The light source we’ve found may only be a temporary tool.  We haven’t seen or heard from the creature that brought us here, and we still have no way of contacting the Ronin.  Talon and I have survived on the milk and meat from the inside of a coconut-like food source we located.  I hope we find a way out soon because I get the feeling that we’re being watched by the creature that brought us here or another person who may be living in these tunnels and rooms based on some of the items we’ve found.

The Star Trek adventure continues at http://www.starbase118.net/.

Check out our most recent Reporter issue that updates UFOP: StarBase 118 members to activities within the fleet.  You can read the Reporter at http://www.wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Reporter_Issue_43.

The Star Trek adventure continues at http://www.starbase118.net/.

I’ve waited for this opportunity for quite a while now. Talon and I have been separated for months, and we now have the opportunity for some alone time away from a starship. Planet T8A looked like the perfect spot for a weekend getaway. It’s secluded, and a it’s virtual paradise. The first night on T8A, also known as Planeta Del Amor, was romantic and peaceful. The next morning, we awoke to the sound of the waterfall at Kassa’s Pool nearby, and then we walked toward our spacecraft several meters away for supplies. When arrived at the landing spot, we found that the craft had been partially devoured. Devoured was the appropriate word because the metal had been stripped from the craft, and hardly anything was left of it. When we returned to our campsite, we found it ransacked. We’re on the run now, with no supplies, and no idea what awaits us until help arrives.

The adventure continues at http://www.starbase118.net/.

I have been a Star Trek fan since I was a kid, which was just a "few" years ago. My fascination with Star Trek started with the original series, which was in re-runs, and continued with the Next Generation and the motion pictures. Right after I saw the 2009 Star Trek movie on opening day, I felt the desire to connect with other Star Trek fans in some form of gaming atmosphere, and so, I went to the Internet and began looking at what was available. Role playing through PBEM (Play By E-Mail) groups seemed to be the most prevalent way Star Trek fans were connecting and continuing Gene Roddenberry's dream. I found a few web sites that peaked my interest, and I spent some time looking at each one and checking reviews of those groups through other sites. I kept coming back to UFOP: StarBase 118 RPG's web site for several reasons. The home page was professional, there were links to tutorials, a thorough wiki site, forums, and there was a lot of information about the group, which had a history going back 15 years. I decided to apply, and I received a quick and friendly response that I was accepted and would immediately begin training, which consisted of learning how to participate in the group. I completed the training a week later, and I was assigned to a writing group which was writing a story on a starship near Romulan space. It didn't take long before I was participating in a story that allowed me to be involved in a new and evolving Star Trek episode true to Roddenberry's vision. I wasn't involved in writing much until I joined UFOP: StarBase 118 RPG. I never imagined that I would have this much fun writing and contributing to an ongoing story with others who love Star Trek. I have also met others in the group who knew very little about Star Trek at first but contributed as much as anyone else. I look forward to continuing the friendships I've made in this group and continuing to explore the final frontier.